Consequence
by CMCRD
Summary: Hermione cannot help changing the future when a spell goes wrong and she goes back to the 1970s. When she comes back to the present, she finds things not quite as she left them, and becomes forced to search out the people involved to change it back.
1. Prologue: What Should Have Been

**A/N: I am going to get a bunch of things out of the way now.**

**First of all- Disclaimer: No owny. Wanty, but no owny. So don't sue me. Unless you want cough drops, in which case all you gotta do is ask.**

**Second- This story will be a hard one to understand at first. Bear with me, let me know in reviews EXACTLY what questions you have, and I'll work to fix it.**

**Third- I'm a student. A student who gets sick often, with a mother going through kidney failure. Actually, that's a lie, she has no kidneys at this point. They've all been removed. She's sick often, and so I'm often unable to have my wits about me enough to write. So, if I'm on hiatus for more than three months, feel free to write me nasty reviews yelling at me.**

**Fourth- I don't even own this plot. So I'm not above, should I got on hiatus for too long, allowing someone else to take over the plot and continue writing this as their own, should they request it. But please don't ask while I'm active.**

**On to the story!**

_**P**ROLOGUE: What Should Have Been- __**1980**_

Dumbledore bowed his head and stared at his aging hands, all trace of a twinkle gone from his eyes. Somehow, it seemed, for all his careful planning over the past two years, words had escaped him. He'd known this would have to happen, but the stress of being the only one currently in existence— No, he amended himself, but the other person who would ever have any idea of this secret was currently not even a year old, and wouldn't learn the secret for years. — had bore in on him deeply, and the weary look in his eyes made him seem, somehow, so much older than his 130 years of age.

He gently fingered the embellishing on the book, turning to the offending page. _1991_. That would be a hectic year all around. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he leaned back in his chair. The groaning stones of the gargoyle at the mouth of his office told him that it was time, and he stood up and came around the desk to greet his guests.

He expelled his breath and relaxed a bit upon seeing only his deputy headmistress looking at him with a puzzled expression. "You didn't tell me you were expecting visitors today, Albus."

"I apologize, Minerva. I assume that they've arrived?"

"They're on their way up. They asked me to send the message that they were here. Last I saw, Lilly was heading for a washroom. Poor thing." Her expression softened and she almost smiled at the thought of one of her cubs having cubs of their own.

Dumbledore gave his long-time friend a small smile. "I understand. Are they all here?"

Minerva's face closed again. "Yes. They are. What is this about, Albus?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "Minerva, please understand that there is something important I have to tell them. All of them. And I do believe it will affect things. But I must tell them first. It is not fair to them, or her, if I don't."

The woman in his doorway looked reluctant to let it go, but after a moment of staring at her boss, she nodded. "They'll be up shortly. I'll announce them."

"Thank you, Minerva."

Dumbledore did something not entirely foreign to him. He paced his office, his gaze shifting from portrait to portrait as if begging them for advice. At the moment, however, most of them were sleeping or visiting others, and would be of no help in any case. He'd heard their opinions on the matter many times, and none of it had helped.

Finally, he forced himself back into his chair, glaring down at the book as if _it _had caused all of these problems. He wasn't one for glaring, or for blaming, he felt it petty and below his great number of years, but the situation seemed to call for it. Even the headmaster of Hogwarts was allowed a moment of immaturity and indecision.

He jumped up again, hearing the gargoyle's grinding announcing the entrance of others. Forcing his expression to seem welcoming, he smiled at Minerva as she again entered the office. "They're here, Albus."

"Thank you, Minerva. I appreciate this more than you know."

She gave him a tight lipped smile as she moved aside for the five Gryffindors and the single Slytherin to enter the office, then exited herself. Dumbledore turned his attention to his former students. He couldn't help but remember them as children, entering Hogwarts for the first time. But they were children no longer, as proved by Lily Potter's swelling stomach, with her husband standing behind her, holding her carefully. The twenty-year-old group stared at the Headmaster, and Dumbledore gestured to the seats he had placed in his office. "Sit, sit," he said, his gaze warm on the children. "I fear you may need to."

The last part should have been too quiet for anyone to hear, but Severus, in the corner, raised an eyebrow at Dumbledore as he sat down, furthest away from the group. Dumbledore picked up his small dish of sweets and handed it to Sirius, closest to his desk. They passed it around the room, only Lily taking one, before it ended up back on his desk.

"Before I begin, I must ask if you remember the... _visitor _Hogwarts had in your final year." As the words came out of his mouth, Dumbledore popped a sweet into his mouth for support and watched the reactions of the students. Lily leaned forward, holding James's hand a bit tighter. Sirius and Remus simply looked at each other, then back at Dumbledore. Peter looked at him in surprise, jolting forward in his chair excitedly. Severus's reaction was the most curious of them all. His face closed, even more so than usual. He suddenly seemed extremely interested in something a few inches above the Headmaster's head.

"I don't know what she told you. I asked her to keep as much as she possibly could quiet, but I understand that she became extremely close with you six, and that secrets would be extremely difficult in those circumstances."

At the looks of confusion, Dumbledore continued. "It appears she kept her word. Good. Although that makes my job all the harder."

He stood up and came around his desk, looking intensely at everyone in the group. "Time travel is a sketchy concept, and not one that many care to experiment with. However, it was somehow believed to be of great importance to her safety that she go back in time a few months from her own time. Due to some... unforeseen... circumstances, she was sent back a bit too far, landing back years away from her destination. Travel back into her present hadn't been important when she was only going to have to relive a few months. So there was no counter spell. Now that it would be years, we had to search for a way to get her back."

Remus looked at Dumbledore, his eyes thoughtful. "I'm sure we're all grateful to finally have the chance to understand everything, but why now?"

Dumbledore looked down at the book. He'd hoped to have a bit longer before he had to get to this. "It seems," he began, pulling the book over toward him and flipping through until he reached the cursed page. "that she came back more than a few years. It appears that she was sent back twenty years." He turned the book around and held it up. There, in the middle of the list, read the name _Hermione Granger._

"1991?" Sirius asked, sounding slightly faint.

"Are you trying to tell me that this girl will be in a class with..." Lily's voice faltered.

"Our son?" James picked up for her, looking at Dumbledore, who nodded.

"I understand she was quite close with your son. Possibly why she clung to the two of you so much. You reminded her of her best friend."

Remus stared at Dumbledore, obviously trying to figure things out in his head. "Headmaster, do we all know this girl in the future?"

Dumbledore glanced down at the book, weighing just how much needed to be said. Finally, he looked out at the group. "Yes."

"All of us?"

Dumbledore nodded. "All of you." He looked directly at Severus, who had been silent throughout this entire thing. Severus simply looked back at Dumbledore, his eyes masked heavily. Not even the headmaster knew the extent of the turmoil the young man was currently in.

Or, at least... that's the way the meeting should have gone.

**A/N: I know, it's weird. Ask your questions. I'm working on Chapter 1 right now, but you have to understand that I know what's going on. I don't know what it's like to be in the dark here. I'm not going to spill everything in the first chapters. If it makes no sense at all, I blame the fact that I'm on eight different medications trying to get over a bad cold. (I always write when I'm sick, somehow.)  
**

**PLEASE REVIEW. They're my medicine.**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: No. Sorry._**

_**C**hapter1- 1977_

_Hermione Granger knew the danger of time travel. She'd been warned off and on since third year that meddling with time could kill her, or throw off what should be and create an alternate reality. But how does one know how to be in the past without changing the past? Every roll she ate should have had an entirely different destiny. So how could she _not _change the future?_

She smiled as she stood in her dormitory, in front of the full-length mirror, staring at her reflection. The graduation ceremony and ball had exhausted her, but she'd had a lovely time. The music had been a mixture of muggle and magical— due, no doubt, to the pureblood Head Boy James Potter and the muggleborn Head Girl Lily Evans— and the decorations had been beautiful. It reminded her eerily of the Yule Ball from her own fourth year, and she suddenly wondered just _who _had been on the decorating committee that year.

And her date. She smiled, remembering the way Severus had held her close as she placed her head on his shoulder and put one hand on his chest. They swayed together, in the shadows away from prying eyes. He wasn't afraid to go public with their relationship— quite the opposite in fact. He'd wasted no time in laying claim over here and scaring away just about any guy who'd looked at her with a look lasting more than a second— but felt that no one deserved to see them dancing. No one needed to know.

She twirled a little, caught up in the memories flowing through her as she stared at her own, very happy reflection. Then the smile dissolved from her face as if someone had sprayed her face with acid. She closed her eyes and looked away. _Graduation is over, _she realized. Dumbledore had agreed to allow her to stay until _after graduation._ She was leaving. Soon. That couldn't be helped, she knew. She belonged in her own time, where Voldemort had begun the second war. She belonged with Harry, Ron, Ginny. And no Dumbledore. Or Lily, or James, or Sirius. Or Severus.

She closed her eye and sat on her bed. It'd been the hardest thing she'd ever had to do, facing all of them without allowing the future to influence the way she treated them. Oh, she'd learned during the summer after Dumbledore was killed that it was crucial for it to be done. That he had ordered Snape to do so. He had called on the Life Debt Snape owed him, forcing the young professor to kill him. And that it'd been the hardest thing Snape had ever done.

But Snape still had to run from the Aurors and Harry, who had refused to listen to reason.

She looked at a picture that had been taken of herself, the Marauders, and Lily. She had refused to let herself get close to Peter. Even standing near him, she could feel the sneaky, evil vibes he emitted. She had to wonder how the rest had missed it. In the moments where he thought no one was looking, the rat of a boy glared at his friends. She wanted to tear him apart, limb by limb.

Because of that evil bastard, two of her friends wouldn't be in the future when she got back. All she would have to remember them by was their son, the son he had gladly used to bring his master back to power. She felt a white-hot shot of anger and hatred at the rat flow through her, and she had to clutch her fists to keep herself from breaking anything.

A knock at the door interrupted her musings. "Hermione?" a hesitant voice asked from the doorway, and Hermione smiled.

"Lily!" She stood up and threw her arms around her friend. The girl seemed shocked, but returned the embrace happily, patting her back slowly as Hermione shook a little, fighting tears back.

"Are you okay?" Hermione realized how odd her behavior must seem. After the ball, she'd taken off and run up to her room, insisting that she'd be back down in a moment. She'd claimed that she just needed to freshen up. Then she'd stayed in the room for fifteen minutes. And now she was clutching Lily.

Hermione let go of Lily and looked at the floor. "I'm fine. I just... I can't believe it's over. I mean, I've been at Hogwarts all— All year, and I've been at school for so long. It's just weird to imagine myself with a job and a life outside of school."

"I know what you mean." Lily glanced at the door, casting a quick spell to make sure that no one was listening at the doorway as the boys had a habit of doing, and then pulled a chain from within her chest. On it was a diamond ring on a gold band. Hermione looked at Lily in surprise.

"Is that..."

"James asked tonight, right after the ball. I agreed. We said we'd keep it a secret for a while, but I can't keep any secrets from you."

Hermione smiled. "And I can't keep any secrets from you." Hermione stared at Lily for a second, and then realized that she couldn't. At least, not anymore. They'd gotten too close, and her secret was just too big to keep. She stood up energetically, and then grabbed Lily's hand. "Come on."

Lily looked surprised. "Hermione...?"

"Come on. We have to go see Dumbledore."

Lily dug her feet into the ground, forcing Hermione to turn around. "What's going on, Herm?"

Hermione shook her head. "Come on, I'll explain on the way. But you can't tell Dumbledore you know. Swear?"

Lily nodded, and Hermione held her pinky out, something that she knew Lily would understand as a muggleborn. Lily linked pinkies, and Hermione grabbed her hand again and pulled her out the door toward Dumbledore's office.

Lily paused right in front of Dumbledore's door. "Wow." Hermione nodded. "But why couldn't you tell us? I mean, it's a bit of a shock, but..."

Hermione gripped Lily's shoulders. "No!" She gave the girl a little shake. "You don't understand. I_ couldn't_ tell you. In fact, I should have told you now. I could have just changed the course of the future, just by saying what little I said. And I just told you _my _story. Could you imagine if I'd told you in the beginning and I'd told you everything through the course of the year? The future would be shot!"

"Wow," Lily said again.

"Lily, you can't tell anyone what I told you, okay? I just... I couldn't take it anymore. You have to understand, I had to pretend my entire life hadn't happened for an entire year. I hate lying to you guys. I didn't want to, but I knew that I had to." Hermione's eyes had somehow filled with tears, and she knew that it had more to do with what she had to say next more than what she had already said.

"Hermione, it's okay."

"No it's not! I have to leave today."

Lily froze, looking at Hermione. "What?"

"Dumbledore... he found out how to send me back in the middle of the year. But in my own time, I wasn't going to be able to do my seventh year. I wanted... I wanted to stay. I wanted to learn and be with you guys."

Lily put her hands on Hermione's shoulders. "Herimione, calm down." She pulled the girl to her. "I love you, chicky, and I'll see you when I'm older. I'll be really, really old, but I'll see you." She smiled at Hermione, who began fidgeting. "I will see you, won't I?"

Hermione nodded. She wanted to tell Lily. She really did. It was on the tip of her tongue. "Yeah. You'll see me. But, it's like you said. You're really old and it won't be the same."

Lily laughed and hugged Hermione. "It's fine." She looked at the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office. "Is that... is that why you're here? To go back?" Hermione nodded. "And you're not going to say goodbye to anyone? To Snape?"

"No," Hermione said, looking at her feet. "If I tell them goodbye, I'll have to explain things. I... can't."

Lily sighed and Hermione said the password to Dumbledore's office. Heading into the office, she turned around and beckoned Lily to follow her. Lily did, hesitantly, and Hermione walked up the staircase to Dumbledore's office, preparing herself to leave.

"Hermione, wait." Hermione paused at the top of the staircase, turning around to face Lily. "Maybe... maybe you should talk to the boys before you go. They'll be upset if you don't..." she trailed off, wringing her hands nervously.

"I... I wrote notes to them. They're in my trunk. C-can you give them out for me? You can have everything in the trunk. There's nothing super important. I gave everything I want to keep to Dumbledore already."

Lily nodded, still looking unsure, but the two of them went into Dumbledore's office. Expecting to see Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, she was surprised to see a note and a potion sitting on the old man's desk.

_Miss Granger,_

_There was a bit of an uprising. I fear that what we talked about will be beginning soon. The potion is ready, and all you have to do is spread it on a wall. It will create a portal. It's been keyed to your own time already. Good luck, Miss Granger. And thank you._

_Albus Dumbledore_

Hermione sighed and looked at Lily. "Well, here goes nothing."

She closed her eyes and put the silver potion on her hand. It was less of a liquid and more of a gel, and felt worse than it smelled, but she put her palm on the wall and spread it on the surface.

"Ew." Lily sneered behind her, catching a whiff of the concoction. Hermione gave her a wry smile as the wall began to morph and shift, and soon, a dark green, swirling portal stood in front of them. "Slytherin colors." Lily sounded amused, but Hermione got the idea that she was sad to see her friend leaving. She turned around.

"Lily..." she began, looking at the girl.

"Don't be stupid. You don't know how long the portal's going to last."

"I know, but..."

"Go!"

"Lily..."

"Go!"

Hermione turned around, closing her eyes and not believing what she was about to do. "Lily, I lied to you and I lied to Dumbledore. I don't know you and James in the future. You're dead. Peter sold you out to Voldemort. He's a Death Eater, don't trust him, please!" And with that, Hermione jumped into the closing portal and practically felt the time stream changing paths around her.

* * *

**_A/N: Okay, I tried to make that a cliffy, and I guess it's okay comparatively. But whatever. I got eight reviews for the prologue. So I'm going to ask for the same for this chapter before you get chapter 2._**

_**Eight reviews. I love you all!**_


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